Now’s the time to look after your mental health

This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week has taken place this week.

The Mental Health Foundation wanted to provide a focus for us all on achieving good mental health, which is just as relevant today – if not more so – than when Mental Health Awareness Week was founded 21 years ago.

Each year a different topic related to our mental health is put into the spotlight, which this year is loneliness.

I personally think that loneliness is something that we can all experience from time to time, and it can have a devastating effect on our mental health. Loneliness is often confused with being alone, but this isn’t always the case.

Many of us have experienced that feeling of being alone in a crowd but thankfully this feeling can often be temporary, as if loneliness is a place that we are passing through.

The Mental Health Foundation are encouraging us all to familiarise ourselves with tactics to help us deal with loneliness which are available on the Mental Health Awareness Week website at mentalhealth.org.uk/lonely

Good mental health has never been more important, and now it’s time to look after yours.

Dame Arlene Phillips 
choreographer by email